Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
by Beaglicious
Summary: When Tim gives Calleigh a ride on his bike one afternoon, the two CSIs realize that there is more between them than just friendship. Part One of the Diamond in the Rough series. SC. No spoilers.


**Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend**

**Disclaimer: As always and forever, not mine. All characters remain property of TPTB. Any resemblance that parts of this story bear to a certain S2 episode of _House_ is completely unintentional, if unavoidable. House isn't mine either.**

**A/N: This is the prequel to a story that I am still working on entitled "Diamond in the Rough."  
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**Summary: When Tim gives Calleigh a ride on his bike one afternoon, the two CSIs realize that there is more between them than just friendship. Part one of the Diamond in the Rough series. No spoilers. SC.**

Preface

"_Hey, Tim."_

_Tim had just stepped off his bike and was pulling off his helmet when Calleigh appeared behind him, looking as fresh as always despite the late hours that they'd been pulling recently. Her hair was down that morning and slightly curled, although Tim knew that as soon as she got into the lab that it would be pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She was wearing a pair of white trousers that were just form-fitting enough to catch Tim's eye without being inappropriate for work, over which she had paired a bright green top that accentuated her own green eyes. In the instant that Tim looked at her, he realized for the first time ever that he was very much attracted to his friend and co-worker..._

Part One: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Calleigh had left the crime lab that afternoon just before Tim, and as he entered the parking lot he saw her leaning against her car, talking on her cell phone. From her gestures he was able to discern that something was wrong with her car, although she appeared calm. Most women that Tim knew were instantly reduced to tears or hysteria when their cars broke down, but Calleigh looked as unfazed as ever. She was actually laughing into the phone. Tim wanted to walk away, wanted to give himself time to mull over what he'd realized that morning, but one look at Calleigh was enough to cause him to change his direction.

"What's up, Cal?"

"Nothing," she said, closing her phone and smiling at him. "It's just my car. The alternator died, so I have to get it replaced. I'm waiting on the tow truck."

"Want me to wait with you?" Tim asked, wondering who had taken over control of his brain. He was definitely not the white-knight-in-shining-armor-rescue-the-damsel-in-distress kind of guy, and besides, Calleigh was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, having gone out of her way more than once to prove so to the rest of the team.

"You don't have to."

Her smile was bewitching, and Tim was barely able to choke out, "I don't mind."

"Okay," she agreed. Tim and Calleigh sat down on the curb, not saying much but enjoying each other's company as they waited. Twenty minutes later the tow truck arrived.

"Thanks for waiting with me, Tim," Calleigh said as she stood up.

Tim felt a slight bit of panic settle in his chest. He wasn't ready yet for this time with Calleigh to end. "Hey – uh, Cal, how are you going to get home from the mechanic?"

Calleigh crinkled her forehead. "Hmm, I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. I don't know. I'll just call up one of my girlfriends, I guess."

"What if they're not home?" The words fell out of Tim's mouth before he realized that he'd said them.

"I'll figure something out." Calleigh shrugged her shoulders. Tim had no doubt that she would have offers lined up around the block to drive her home. So why was he pushing the issue so hard?

"I could give you a ride." There went his mouth again, speaking before his brain had time to filter what it was saying.

"On your bike?" Calleigh raised one eyebrow and looked at Tim, a skeptical look on her face.

"It's not that bad, I promise."

Calleigh shook her head. "No, it's not that. I've been dying to ride on it for a while, actually. I just didn't think that you'd ever agree to take me, so I never bothered to ask." Tim could see her eyes glittering at the thought of a ride on his bike. Since when was Calleigh into bikes?

The tow truck driver interrupted before Tim could respond. "Lady, are you coming with me or not?"

Tim frowned at the man and answered for Calleigh before she could. "No. She's coming with me."

The tow truck driver grunted and hopped in the rig, leaving Calleigh and Tim behind.

Tim turned to face Calleigh. "Ready?" he asked as they watched her car fade into the distance. Calleigh smiled back at him.

"I thought you'd never ask. Let's go."

Tim helped Calleigh put the helmet on, and then helped her on the bike before climbing on himself. Calleigh reached forward and hesitantly placed her hands on Tim's waist, just above his hips.

"You're going to have to hang on tighter than that, Cal," Tim said, grabbing Calleigh's arms and wrapping them fully around his waist until her hands met over his abdomen. The movement propelled Calleigh's body forward until she hit Tim's back, leaving her flush against him.

"Hold on," Tim said, before turning the engine over and easing the bike out of the parking lot. As he sped up, he felt Calleigh lay her head down against his back, and then felt her chest expand and retract against him as she took in a deep breath of air and slowly exhaled. Tim hoped that it was a sigh of contentment and not exasperation, because the combination of Calleigh's hands wrapped around him and her body pressed against his was making him more than a little hot under the collar. Of all the days to realize that he had a thing for his co-worker. Still, he couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else, and he hoped that Calleigh felt the same way, despite the troubles that such feelings would inevitably bring.

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It was several hours later before Tim finally pulled up to Calleigh's house. He killed the engine and waited as she climbed off. Although he didn't like losing the physical contact with Calleigh, he felt somewhat relieved. Tim had always enjoyed having a girl ride along with him, but he'd never felt quite as turned on until he rode with Calleigh. A couple more spins around the block and he would have risked ravaging her there on the spot.

Calleigh took off the helmet and fluffed her hair. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. "I could feed you. I feel bad, taking up your entire afternoon and evening. You must be starving."

Tim knew that it was a bad idea, but that didn't stop him from considering it. He knew that he needed some time away from Calleigh, needed some time to sort through these new feelings of his. Was he merely physically attracted to Calleigh? She was beautiful, by any standard. Or was there something more to this infatuation, some intangible quality that attracted Tim to her? Tim wasn't sure yet, but he wasn't about to enter Calleigh's house before he'd had a chance to sort his thoughts out, no matter how much his body was telling him to do otherwise. There was also the not-so-slight problem of being her co-worker…

"I better not," he said finally, fiddling with his keys. Tim could feel Calleigh's eyes on him and he looked up, connecting his brown eyes with her green ones. Calleigh's face was surprisingly neutral, but he could see in her eyes that she was entertaining similar thoughts about him. Tim knew then that if he wanted to (and oh, did he want to), he could get off his bike and pull Calleigh into his arms and her lips would meet his with an equal fervor.

"Are you sure?" Calleigh asked, and Tim sensed that whatever window of opportunity there was between the two of them was rapidly closing, although the tension in the air between them was still thick. He desperately wanted to say yes, wanted to ignore the thoughts storming through his head and just kiss her. But Tim was a contemplative person by nature, and he wasn't about to take such a gigantic leap without thinking through the consequences first.

"Yeah," Tim said, the resignation clear in his voice. There was no mistaking the hurt that appeared in Calleigh's eyes then. Desperate to wipe away that pain, Tim blurted out, "Do you need a ride in tomorrow?"

It was Calleigh's turn to shake her head. "No. But thanks for the ride, Tim." With those words she turned and walked up her driveway, leaving Tim to wonder if he'd forsaken the only chance that he'd ever have with Calleigh, if he could even call what had happened today a chance. He sped off then, spending over an hour weaving through the back roads of Miami lost in thought before returning home.

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It was early evening of the following day before Tim saw Calleigh. She'd hidden herself away in ballistics all day, telling Horatio that she really needed to catch up on some things. When it became obvious to Tim that she wasn't leaving the lab until he left the building, he headed down to the basement to find her.

"Hey, Cal," he said shyly, knocking softly on the door as he opened it and stepped inside.

Calleigh looked up from her microscope. "Tim? What are you doing down here?" She seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I just hadn't seen you all day and I guess I wanted to make sure everything went okay with your car."

Calleigh smiled at him. "Thanks, Tim. It's all ready to go. I'm going to pick it up after work."

"Do you need a ride?" That phrase had caused him quite a bit of trouble the day before, and he couldn't believe that he was asking her again. All he knew was that he wanted more than anything to feel Calleigh's arms around his waist again as the wind whipped through his hair, even though he still hadn't come to any conclusion about his feelings for her, despite thinking about little else the night before.

Calleigh shook her head. "Horatio is taking me. It's on his way home."

"I don't mind."

Calleigh paused and bit at her bottom lip before answering. After a moment of silent deliberation, she finally said, "Tim, I think it's probably for the best if I don't ride on your bike again. It would make things too – too complicated. Can you understand that?" She met Tim's eyes as she spoke, and in them he could see an unspoken apology, and not a little bit of agony as well.

The subtext of Calleigh's words was unmistakable. She was attracted to Tim, and knew that he was attracted to her. But acting on those feelings would have serious repercussions that neither of them was sure they wanted to face, and Calleigh was especially wary after Tim's hesitation the day before.

"Sure," Tim said, breaking Calleigh's gaze to stare at his feet.

"I'm glad you gave me a ride on your bike though. It – it was nice," she continued.

Tim risked a second glance into Calleigh's eyes, which were as full of longing and disappointment as his own, and wondered how long she had been interested in him. Her words from the day before flashed through his mind.

"_I've been dying to ride on it for a while, actually. I just didn't think that you'd ever agree to take me, so I never bothered to ask."_

"It was nice," Tim agreed wistfully.

Calleigh held out her hand to him. "Friends?" she asked. Tim stared at her hand for a moment before clasping it in his own.

"Friends," he agreed, ignoring the tight sensation in his chest that told him being just friends with Calleigh Duquesne would never be enough for him.

_Fin_


End file.
